Method of manufacturing gas.



No. '145,6354 .0. Mamma of l PATBNTED DEG. 1, 1903.", W. LUMMI-s. v l MANUPAGTUMNG GAS.

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UNITED STATES Patented December 1, 19.03.

PATENT OFFICE.

I METHOD OF MANUFACTURING GAS.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 745,635, dated December 1, 1903.

Applica-tion filed March 17, 1902. Serial NO- 93.525. (No modeld To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, CHARLES W. Lunnis,

a citizen of the United States, and a resident of Cleveland, Ohio, have invented certain Im- 5 provements in Generating Fuel-Gas, of which the following is a specification.

' My invention relates to the production of carbon monoxid, commonly known as producer-gas.

Oneobject of my invention is to producea richer and more nearly uniform gas than can be made in an ordinary producer, which gas can be used in gas-engines, as well as for heating purposes.

A further Objectis to simplify such production and lessen or entirely dispense with the severe and exhausting labor necessary in operating such ordinary producer, the process being also cheapened because of this lessenbe readily applied, this outlet and valve being contained within the upper portion of a downtake 5, whereby the gas is discharged from the producer and is conveyed to an ordinary dust-collector and thence to the furnace or other structure in which it is to be used or to a storage vessel or reservoir.

The interior of the producer structure is di` vided by two perforated arches 6 and 7, also of refractory material, into lower, intermediate, and upper chambers 9, 10, and 11, respectively. The upper chamber 11 communicates, through the valved outlet 3, with the downtake 5, and the lower chamber has at one side an opening 12, close to the bottom and provided with a suitable door 13, and at the other .side a passage 14, which is in cemmunication with a pipe 15, into which powdered coal can be fed in determinate quantity from a hopper 16 by means of an endless conveyer 17 or other available feeding device.

chamber 10 of the producer. ing of labor and because of the lower cost of.

ing in a nozzle 21, which projects into the lower end of a valved air-pipe 22, the upper end of the latter communicating withheating-passages 23, formed in the walls or lining lot' the upper chamber 11 of the producer and supplied with air in any convenient manneras, for instance, by means of a pipe 24.

Into the lower portion of the intermediate chamber 10 of the producer project pipes 25, which may communicate with any available supply of air under pressure or may be provided with steam-nozzles 26, whereby a [iow of air mixed with steam can be caused to pass through them and into said intermediate The airis by preference preheated in order that it may not unduly chill the gas in the chamber 10.

In operation, a wood iire is first kindled in the lower chamber 9 of the producer, and pulverized coal, together with air in suiicient amount to induce complete combustion, are blown into said chamber through the passage 14,-, the pulverized coal being thereby burned so as to produce an intense heat in the various chambers of the producer, and thereby raise to a very high temperature the refractory lining 2 and arches 6 and 7. When this has been effected, the amount of air introduced with the pulverized coal is diminished, and steam is also introduced into the chamber 9 with the air and coal; it being understood that the supply of air previously introduced with the coal has been caused by pressure imparted thereto independent oi' the steam-jet. The supply of oxygen now furnished is only sufficient in volume to cause the production of carbon monoxid, or producer-gas, and such production continues as long as the supply of powdered coal is maintained, the gas passing up through the perforated iire-brick arches and being delivered through the downtake 5.

lfVhile the gas produced by blowing the fine powdered coal with a limited quantity of air and steam into the highly-heated chamber 9 of the producer is chiefly carbon monoxid, due to the partial burning of the coal, there may also be some carbon dioXid; but as the pro- IOO portions of air, steam, and coal are regulated with the view of supplying just sufficient oxygen to oxidize the carbon to carbon monoxid such carbon dioxid as is formed will be accompanied by some free carbon mingled with the gases in the combustion-chamber, and as in the presence of carbon and heat carbon dioxid is an unstable compound and tends to give up one atom of its oxygen to the carbon the result will be the reduction of the carbon dioxid to carbon monoxid and the simultaneous conversion of the carbon into carbon monoxid. It is for this purpose that the perforated fire-brick arches and the air and steam supply pipes 25 are used, the gases produced in the lower chamber 9 passing through the perforations in the intenselyheated arches and being thereby changed into carbon monoxid, as indicated above, the pipes 25 being employed in order to perfectly regulate the total amount of air and steam introduced, as it may be found best in practice to reduce the amount of steam blown in with the coal and introduce it into the gas after the latter passes through the arch G.

As in regular gas-producer work, steam is used to transfer some of the heat of primary combustion in the producer to the furnace or other structure, the steam absorbing heat and being thereby broken up into its elements in the producer and giving out this heat again when the hydrogen which is carried o with the carbon monoxid is burned in the furnace.

It will be evident that agas-prolucer of the charactershown and described dispenses with the severe and exhausting labor attending the use of an ordinary gas-producer and demanded by t-he necessity of poking the mass of fuel for the purpose of breaking up clinkers and providing for the passage of the air through said mass of fuel, the production of a richer and more uniform gas being insured, owing to the fact that the conditions under which the gas is formed are practically constant, Whereas in an ordinary gas-producer these conditions are constantly varying, because of v ened, there being no shut-downs on account of clinkers, as in ordinary hand-poked gasproducers, or because of derangement of complicated machinery, as in the case of producers having mechanically-operated pokers. Owing to the high heat at which the gas is generated and under which it is subsequently maintained the gas will be fixed and the dis` tillation of tar-forming vapors from the coal, as iu ordinary producers, will be prevented, the gas being available for use in engines, as well as for heating purposes.

Although I prefer in carrying out my invention to construct a producer with two or even more of the perforated arches, a single arch only may be used in some cases, or the arches may even be dispensed with altogether without departing -from the essential feature of my invention, and, as I have already indicated, the steam may be introduced independently of the air, or the production of gas inl accordance with my invention may be conducted without the use of steam at all, such use being, however, preferred in all cases for the reasons before given.

Having thus described my invention, I claim and desire to secure by Letters Patentl. The mode herein described of generating carbon monoxid or producer-gas, said inode consisting in introducing into a highly-heated chamber, powdered coal, and combining therewith air and steam in volume so limited as to provide only sufficient oxygen to effect such conversion of the coal into carbon monoxid, substantially as specified.

2. The mode herein described of generating carbon monoxid or producer-gas, said mode consisting in introducing into a highly-heated chamber, powdered coal, and combining therewith preheated air and steam in volume so limited as to provide only sufficient oxygen to effect suchconversion of the coal into carbon monoxid, substantially as specified.

3. The mode herein described of generating carbon monoxid, or producer-gas, said mode consisting in introducing into a highly-heated chamber, powdered coal combined with air, maintaining the heat of the gas so produced and introducing thereinto a further supply of air, the total volume of air being so limited as to supply only sufficient oxygen to eect the conversion of the coal into carbon monoxid, substantially as specified..

4. The mode herein described of generating carbon monoxid or producer-gas, said mode consisting in introducing into a highly-heated chamber, powdered coal combined with preheated air, maintaining the heat of the gas so produced and introducing thereinto' a further supply of air, the total volume of air being so limited as to supply only sufcient oxygen to edect the conversion of the coal into carbon monoxid, substantially as specified.

5. The mode herein described of generating carbon monoxid or producer-gas, said mode consisting in introducing into a highly-heatA ed chamber, powdered coal combined with a mixture of air and steam, maintaining the heat of the gas so produced and introducing thereinto a further supply of air, the total volu me of steam and air being so limited as to supply only sufcient oxygen to eect the roo IIO

conversion of the coal into carbon monoxid, substantially as specified.

6. The mode herein described ef generating carbon monoxid or producer-gas, said mode consisting in introducing into a highly-heated chamber, powdered coal combined with a mixture of preheated air and steam, maintaining the heat of the gas thus produced, and introducing thereinto a further supply of air, the total volume of steamand air being so limited as to supply only snfcient oxygen to eiect the conversion of the coal into carbon monoxid, substantially as specified.

7. The mode herein described of generating carbon monoxid or producer-gas, said mode consisting in introducing into a highly-heated chamber, powdered coal combined with air, maintaining the heat of the gas thus produced, and introducing thereinto a supply of steam, the total Volume of steam and air being so limited as to supply only suflicient oxygen to effect the conversion of the coal into carbon monoxid, substantially as specified.

8. The mode herein described of generating carbon monoxid or producer-gas, said mode consisting in introducing into a highly-heated chamber, powdered coal combined with preheated air, maintaining the heat of the gas thus produced, and introducing thereintoa supply of steam, the total volume of steam and air being so limited as to supply only sufficient oxygen to effect the conversion of the consistingin introducing into a highly-heated chamber powdered coal combined with air,

maintaining the heat of the gas thus produced,

and introducing thereinto a further supply of air mixed with steam, the total volume of steam and air being so limited as to supply only sufficient oxygen t0 edect the conversion of the coal into carbon monoxid, substantially as specified. A

l0. The mode herein described of generating carbon monoxid or producer-gas, said mode consisting in introducing into a highlyheated. chamber, powdered coal combined with preheated air, maintaining the heat of the gas thus produced, and introducing thereinto a further supply of air mixed with steam, the total volume of steam and air being so limited as to supply only snfticient oxygen to eect the conversion of the coal into carbon monoxid, substantially as specified.

ll. The mode herein described of generating carbon monoxid or producer-gas, said mode consisting in introducing into a highlyheated chamber, powdered coal combined with a mixture of air and steam, maintaining the heat of the gas thus produced, and introducing thereinto a further mixture of air and steam, the total volume ot steam and air beingso limited as to supply only sufiicient oxygen to eect the conversion of the coal into carbon monoxid, substantially as specified.

12. The mode herein described of generating carbon monoxid or producer-gas, said mode consisting in introducing into a highlyheated chamber, powdered coal combined with a mixture cf preheated air and steam, maintaining the heat of the gas thus produced, and introducing thereinto a furthery 

